Madagascar Giant Mastiff Bat

Open encyclopedia reference

The Madagascar free-tailed bat or Malagasy giant mastiff bat (Otomops madagascariensis) is a species of free-tailed bat formerly included as a subspecies of the large-eared free-tailed bat, but that was later considered to be a distinct, Malagasy species. The Madagascar free-tailed bat is endemic to northern, western, and southern Madagascar. The Madagascar free-tailed bat is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its widespread distribution in Madagascar. Threats to it are unclear and more research is needed into the possible disturbance of its roost sites. The species roosts in one cave that is considered to be fady, or taboo, and it has been recorded in five protected areas: Parc National du Tsingy de Bemaraha, Parc National de Namoroka, Parc National d’Isalo, Réserve Spéciale d’Ankarana and Réserve Spéciale d’Analamerana. There are nine currently known roosting colonies, and all are in areas that receive some sort of protection by Madagascar. The population of the Madagascar free-tailed bat is unknown.

Wikipedia contributors, Madagascar free-tailed bat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:48:52.297932+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Otomops madagascariensis Dorst, 1953

Name authority

Dorst, 1953

Common name

Madagascar Giant Mastiff Bat

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Chiroptera

Family

Molossidae

Genus

Otomops

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderChiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
12. suborderYangochiroptera Koopman, 1984
13. superfamilyVespertilionoidea Gray, 1821
14. familyMolossidae Gervais, 1856
15. subfamilyMolossinae Gervais, 1856
16. genusOtomops Thomas, 1913
17. speciesOtomops madagascariensis Dorst, 1953

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Otomops. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 93 records assigned to Molossidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=946109 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4B7JX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.